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sr2680

Posts: 1
Joined: Jun 2008

Jun 08, 2008 - 11:04 pm

Dear Memebers, this is my first post here. I have been surfing web for the past 8 hours trying to figure things out. I am writing this post on behalf of my father. He is 61 and while going through his normal physical check up, primary care was not happy happy with his blood report. to make a long story short he had some CT and US done and found a 1.3cm cyst on his left kidney and a mass of 1.7 cm on his right kidney. since we have a language barrier here, it is hard for him or to me to communicate and ask appropriate questions. also the fact that i dont live close by to him makes it difficiult. my partents at this point are really scared and worried, i know its too soon to be worried. they are going for a 2nd opinion firday 6/13. to help him prep for it, what questions should he ask?, what should he be prepared for? he will be going to st.joseph in Maryland.
any help for you guys will be greatly appreciated.
thanks,
sr

I know this is scary - for you especially, being somewhere else when you so want to be with your parents right now!

As for questions - from the simple to the most detailed are important!

Like - do you know what it is (since it appears there's a cyst in one kidney and a mass in the other it's important to know for certain what each is. Then, options - radical surgery versus partial nephrectomy. Clinical trials vs drug therapy. Ask about post-op complications/length of time in hospital, recovery time, etc. Make sure the doctors do a PET scan to determine if there is anything anywhere else in his body, a bone scan is appropiate as well. I had all of these test prior to a radical nephrectomy because my doctor wanted to be sure he didn't encounter any surprises when he opened me up.

If his doctor is good, he'll be honest and straight with your father. No hemming and hawing at a time like this! We (patients) are scared enough without having a doctor who can't or won't speak plain english and be honest.

For me the biggest surprise, post-operatively, was the fatigue/lack of strength/energy that seemed to go on forever! It took over a year before I felt like I could walk more than a block without needing a nap!

One thing to keep in mind too - new treatments, new and better surgical techniques - medications and clinical trials keep coming up all the time!

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